Research-Based

Opti-Men Review – Should You Add This Multivitamin To Your Routine?

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By Leslie Waterson

Reviewed by Juliana Tamayo, MS, RDN - Last Updated

Opti-Men Review

Opti-Men is a multi-vitamin-mineral-phytonutrient supplement. It’s manufactured by one of the largest sports nutrition supplement companies in the world, Optimum Nutrition (ON). They are part of the larger nutrition company Glanbia. ON manufacturers Opti-Men in the US along with all of their other products according to their webpage.

Opti-Men is designed for the athlete in mind. It’s something you can use as a foundational product and build on top of it with other supplements and diet strategies. The product is packed with over 75 ingredients, including over 300mg of B-complex vitamins. Let’s learn more about this supplement and if it is right for you in this review of Opti-Men.

optimum nutrition opti men

Opti-Men Benefits

Address Nutrient Deficiencies

Opti-Men has been specifically formulated for fit, active men. It provides several foundational nutrients to support healthy cellular function. The more active you are, the more nutrients you will need to support that lifestyle.

Supports Male Health

Opti-Men contains a blend of ingredients that target key aspects of male health. Some of the ingredients included target things like testosterone, libido, prostate health, and brain function.

opti men multivitamin

Opti-Men Ingredients

Opti-Men has a long list of ingredients, including vitamin A, Riboflavin, vitamin C, vitamin D, Biotin, and more. We’ll go into more detail on the ingredients of Opti-Man below.

Opti-Men Supplement Facts

Multivitamin

Within Opti-Men is a wide array of vitamins. All vitamins are used by our bodies to assist in critical functions in one way or another. Things like B vitamins (Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, B12, Folic Acid, Biotin, and Pantothenic Acid) heavily influence our metabolism and energy production. Other vitamins like C & D coordinate our immune system.

Not all vitamins are created equal, though, especially when it comes to quality. While Opti-Men does contain several vitamins active men need more of, the product does not use the highest quality ingredients.  For example, Opti-Men employs vitamin E as d-alpha tocopheryl succinate. Many experts agree vitamin E should be provided as mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols. It is very rare that we would ever consume only one form of vitamin E at a time. This imbalance of vitamin E consumption has been shown to provide no benefit to people supplementing.

Another example of poor vitamin quality choice is the B-vitamins. Most notably B12 as cyanocobalamin and folic acid. Both are synthetic forms. They have been shown to be less bioavailable and potent when compared to their natural counterparts, methylcobalamin & folate, respectively.

Something that often goes overlooked in multivitamins is the addition of fat. Vitamins A, D, E, & K are fat-soluble. To absorb them properly, it is best to consume them with some type of fat. Opti-Men does provide a small amount of medium-chain triglycerides, which can aid in the absorption of these fat-soluble vitamins.

Multimineral

Just like vitamins, minerals are required by our cells to carry out specific functions. The required intake of each mineral varies from one to the other. For example, calcium intake is recommended at a much higher dose than that of copper.

Mineral deficiencies are more common than most people realize. Magnesium is one of the most prevalent mineral deficiencies, and it is involved with over 300 different biochemical pathways in our body. Opti-Men contains a reasonable amount of magnesium for a multivitamin.

However, there are much better forms of magnesium available than what this product utilizes. Minerals exist in several forms. Without going into too much detail, common forms of minerals include pure elements, salts, oxides, and chelates.

Salts & oxides are most commonly found in lower-tiered nutritional supplements. That is because the salt and oxide mineral forms are very cheap to manufacture. These forms are typically not well absorbed in the gut. Common side effects of taking high doses of oxide or salt minerals include diarrhea. For this reason, physicians will commonly prescribe magnesium oxide to address constipation.

Chelated minerals have been attached to amino acids. This allows the body to better recognize and absorb them into the bloodstream. As a result, this reduces the risk of any GI discomfort. Unfortunately, chelated minerals are more expensive than their salt and oxide forms.

Opti-Men has a blend of some mineral chelates, salts, and oxides. The product contains significantly higher daily intake percentage of trace minerals such as selenium, copper, and chromium than more common minerals like magnesium or calcium.

Amino Men Blend

There are 21 amino acids. Our body is capable of making 13 amino acids from scratch, but we must get the remaining nine from our diet. This group of essential amino acids includes the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), isoleucine, leucine, and valine.

Opti-Men amino acid blend contains the BCAAs and other amino acids associated with building muscle. However, there is only a total of 1g for all of them. BCAAs are often dosed at 2+g, each depending on a person’s body weight.

PhytoMen Blend

The PhytoMen Blend contains over 20 different plant-based ingredients. It’s important to realize that more does not mean better. While there are several ingredients that sound good, like green tea powder or elderberry powder, the truth is this blend is only 100mg.

Additionally, only one of the ingredients in PhytoMen Blend is standardized to contain any active nutrients.

Viri Men Blend

This blend appears to be focused on improving sexual health and libido in men. Similar to the PhytoMen Blend, the Viri Men Blend contains several ingredients. These ingredients are also largely underdosed. The blend is only 50mg. On top of this, we have no way to discern how much of the active compounds are in these ingredients because they have not been standardized.

Enzyme Blend

The Enzyme Blend is made up of digestive enzymes. The blend Opti-Men has created includes enzymes that breakdown proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. This may alleviate GI distress or that feeling of an “upset stomach” following meals.

The blend is labeled as 50mg. This is an improper way to label digestive enzymes. Enzymes should be labeled based on their activity.

Antioxidants

The last ingredients listed on the Opti-Men label primarily fall under the category of antioxidants. All of the ingredients are significantly underdosed. For example, alpha lipoic acid is typically recommended at doses between 600 and 1800mg. Opti-Men contains only 25mg. On the low-end, alpha lipoic acid is recommended at about 300mg a day. A 25mg dose is likely to provide no substantial benefit.

Another specific example of the underdosing of these ingredients is zeaxanthin. Most research will recommend approximately 2mg of zeaxanthin. Opti-Men has included 28mcg. That’s about 100x less than what should be supplemented to have an appreciable benefit.

Does Opti-Men Work?

Opti-Men is primarily formulated to prevent nutrient deficiencies and support male health. While it could have utilized higher quality vitamins and minerals, it will still help to support nutrient intake. Additionally, some of the ingredients could be dosed higher.

The same could be said about their other blends. Many of their ingredients are underdosed. 

If you prefer a multivitamin supplement with doses appropriate for older adults, the best multivitamin for seniors might help.

Claims vs. Reality

Opti-Men primarily set out to be a foundational nutritional supplement. Their website description mentions being more than a multi with over 75 active ingredients to support active men. Had they simply focused on the multivitamin component of the product and discarded the rest, Opti-Men would be a solid product.

The inclusion of all the additional ingredients and blends diminishes the quality of Opti-Men. More is not better. The vast majority of the plant extracts are significantly underdosed. There is also no way to know how much of the active chemicals are left in those extracts.

Rather than including 75+ ingredients at low doses, Opti-Men would be better, including higher doses of key ingredients in their blend and leaving out some of the lesser understood compounds. Another improvement would have been including higher-quality vitamin and mineral forms. For example, the preferred form of minerals are chelates. Additionally, rather than using cyanocobalamin or phytonadione, methylcobalamin and phylloquinone or menaquinone would be superior forms, respectively.

Who Is Opti-Men Best For?

This product would be best served for fit and active individuals (primarily men). Opti-Men should then be used as a way to address small shortcomings in dietary intake could lead to deficiencies over time. This would not be ideal for individuals with an unbalanced diet.

Opti-Men Best For men

Is Opti-Men Safe?

Due to the use of tablets rather than capsules and the types of minerals in Opti-Men, users should be aware GI discomfort or distress may occur.

Other Optimum Nutrition Reviews:

Studies

Overall Rating:
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Leslie Waterson

Leslie has been passionately involved in the health and fitness industries for over a decade. She is constantly reviewing the latest scientific research and studies in order to take a research-backed approach to lifestyle optimization. Her main areas of interest include nutrition and supplementation. Leslie shares her findings on Fitness Clone to help other health enthusiasts choose the products and routines that will help them achieve their goals.

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